Corticosteroid therapy adverse effects

Glucocorticoids, particularly cortisol , promote the conversion of fats to carbohydrates and the deposition of glycogen (a storage form of glucose) in the liver and participate in maintaining normal blood-sugar concentrations. The production of glucocorticoids is regulated by adrenocorticotropic hormone , secreted by the pituitary gland . They also play a minor part in regulating the excretion of mineral salts and water, but the most powerful of the hormones exerting this mineralocorticoid effect is aldosterone: it controls sodium metabolism in mammals and promotes the excretion of magnesium in the urine.